HELP US TRACK THE FIRST BRIGG CUCKOO OF 2020 & WATCH OUT FOR SWOOPING SWIFTS

With many more Brigg people than usual now being in the town during the working day because of the Coronavirus emergency lockdown, there are more pairs of eyes available to scan the skies for the return of summer birds and listen to their songs and cries.
Who will hear the first cuckoo of 2020 in Brigg? And who will spot the first swallow, house martin and swift?
Many birds make the long flight back from Africa to arrive in Brigg between late April and late May - with variations between species.
The very mild winter was kind to non-migratory native birds which remain with us throughout the year, including smaller ones - blue tits, great tits, robins, wrens and goldcrests.
Colourful species like chaffinches, goldfinches and bullfinches grace many suburban gardens across Brigg at this time of year.
Swifts (example pictured above) are a lot less common in the town than they were 20+ years ago - fewer roof eaves now being available to them for nesting.
However, those we do have make a fine sight in summer, especially when there is an abundance of insects near ground level rather than being high in the sky.
Some swifts can usually be seen above the town centre from late May, together with the section of Grammar School Road near Redcombe Lane.
Brigg Blog looks forward to hearing about sightings in the coming weeks.
One downside to the mild winter was fewer waxwings coming over to Lincolnshire from Scandinavia.
These birds are very colourful and visit the UK if food-hunting is proving difficult in their native countries.
Some years ago a small flock created interest by visiting Bigby Road, not far from the level crossing when it was still of the wooden kind.